GDPA Chairman claims Romain Grosjean’s horrific 2020 crash made driving more harsh and challenging for F1 drivers

Formula 1 had one of the toughest races in Qatar last weekend. The race pushed drivers to the limit as many collapsed shortly after the end of the Grand Prix on Sunday. Moreover, Esteban Ocon puked inside the cockpit mid-race at the Losail Circuit. With Williams’ Logan Sargeant retiring from the race. Now, Grand Prix Drivers Association Chairman and former F1 driver Alex Wurz has mentioned that Romain Grosjean‘s 2020 crash has led to such conditions.

Romain Grosjean had a massive crash during the 2020 Bahrain GP that saw the Haas driver leave a flaming cockpit. Stricter measures were introduced in F1 after this incident with more resistant fireproof overalls. Alex Wurz has revealed that the new overalls make it hotter for drivers in the cockpit. Drivers already go through extreme heat while driving in F1 due to the proximity of the power unit, batteries, and other components in an F1 car.

Alex Wurz revealed his own experience of testing the new fireproofs recently. He told BBC Sport, “They cook you. I recently tested a car while wearing the new mandatory fireproofs, and I was shocked at how hot I was.” Certainly, this could be one of the contributing factors that led to the harsh environment in Qatar with almost half of the grid collapsing post-race. As such, a consequence of Romain Grosjean’s incident in 2020.

Also Read: Esteban Ocon claims ‘you need to kill me to retire’ after the physically taxing Qatar GP

Alex Wurz understands the need for the enhanced fireproofs in F1

Despite the identified drawback of the new fireproofs, the GDPA Chairman acknowledged that the overalls must remain in Formula 1. Wurz admitted that the new fireproofs were designed in light of safety concerns and do a much better job than their predecessors that were used at the time of Romain Grosjean’s crash. However, the former F1 driver pointed out that the new overalls have played a part in more challenging racing conditions.

The GDPA Chairman stated, “Of course, those fireproofs are here for a very good reason and I am not suggesting a return to lower fireproofing standards, but for those who are not aware of what is happening, that is one of many contributing factors.” As such, Wurz has made it clear that the new fireproofs are a necessity in Formula 1.

Certainly, the new fireproofs will remain in the sport for the time to come. However, considering it does affect the heat in the cockpit, F1 must continue to develop in this area in the future to perhaps negate this issue with more enhanced overalls. Although till then, drivers will continue to wear the current overalls as they go head-to-head at the pinnacle of motorsport.

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